New Rules to Speed up Play brought in by World Series of Poker

May 12, 2017

The leading poker tournament, World Series of Poker will reduce both the time allotted to a player to make a decision after the clock is called and the minimum time needed prior to the clock being called.

When a player thinks another is taking too long to make a decision he can “call the clock”. The dealer then consults with tournament staff and after assessing the situation they can put a timer on the player regarded as stalling. The hand is declared dead if the player does not adhere to the timer.

The old rule was that the clock could not be called until deliberation lasted about two minutes; the new one removes this requirement.

WSOP said: “Participants may now call the clock at any point if they feel a player at the table is taking longer than is reasonable.”